Chapter 31: Errors and Understandings

Albus looked between Harry and Grindelwald standing opposite each other. Were they really making him choose? He stared at Harry. While deflective on his goals and past, Albus could just feel the concern he had in that moment. It showed in his features, his eyes wide, his lips parted. He seemed terrified, but his feet were steady and ready for action.

Gellert's expression was much more difficult to read. He looked vaguely bored in his eyes, but a slight smirk was present on his lips. Gellert was someone who he shared common interests with. They wanted to do great things with the Wizarding world, change policies, change the mindset to be more magical based. He could see himself achieving his career and life goals with Gellert there as a support.

But with Harry, he'd be gone in a few days. He would go back to the future where he belonged. He didn't belong here.

He lifted his wand.

But just as he did, Gellert yelled, "Stupefy!" Harry jumped and immediately put up a shield.

"What are you doing?" Albus asked Gellert, pushing Aberforth away. He didn't want his brother involved.

"He wants you to fail!" Gellert said, sneering at Harry, whose face suddenly grew darker, eyes narrowed.

"Albus," Aberforth said, grabbing his arm. "Don't listen to him. It's not going to be safe for Ariana! She's not fit-"

"I don't-"

"Crucio!" Another light shot passed Albus's head toward Aberforth. Albus's heart leapt, but it was too late. Aberforth was now on the ground, screaming and thrashing about. Albus stared, then turned to glare at Gellert. "Stop it! You're hurting him!" He waved his wand, causing Gellert to stumble back into a bookshelf. Aberforth fell heavily, whimpering. He couldn't believe Gellert just cast the Cruciatus Curse at his brother. He didn't even recall hearing the words.

"You want this, Albus. The Hallows! They've been the one thing you've wanted for your whole life," Gellert said, his eyes suddenly pleading.

"You just hurt my brother," Albus said, his voice a low growl.

In that moment, Aberforth got up. Albus tried to grab him, but he just missed his collar by an inch. Aberforth jumped on Gellert and they both fell to the floor, Aberforth tried to pound Gellert with his fist, but Gellert was faster. He grabbed Aberforth's wrists and pushed him off.

Aberforth shot a Jelly-Legs jinx at Gellert, but he rolled out of the way, aiming his wand at Aberforth. Aberforth, though, was yelling out all sorts of spells. "Stupefy!" "Confringo!" Gellert dodged them, though, and sent one at Albus silently. Albus blocked that with a quick "Protego!" and finally grabbed Aberforth by the collar to pull him back.

AHAHAHA

A multitude of different colored lights flashed between Albus, Grindelwald, and Aberforth. Harry threw out shields wherever he could to make sure neither of the Dumbledore's got hurt.

Between the shouts and the spells shattering wood, pottery, and papers in the objects' wake, Harry didn't even notice a whirlwind beginning to form at his feet. The only reason he even noticed was because a piece of wood pierced through his jeans. He jumped as the pain coursed through his leg.

Then he heard the highest pitched scream he ever heard before, even over the Banshee he'd come across two months into his Auror work.

He turned, seeing Ariana standing only two feet away. Her face was screwed up in the scream, her eyes red and tears streaming down her face.

"Ariana!" Aberforth yelled, but the spells were still coming. Dust and papers whirled around and the papers caught fire. Harry tried to run forward to grab her, pull her away from the flying spells, but a red and a green light shot passed his shoulder and hit her squarely in the chest.

Her screams abruptly stopped and her body swayed. Harry only just caught her before she hit the ground.

"Stop! STOP!" Aberforth screamed.

Harry looked up in just enough time to see that Grindelwald's eyes were wide in panic before he disappeared from the kitchen with a pop, one last red spell hitting right where he'd been before. Albus dropped his wand arm and caught Harry's eye. They wavered there for a moment before slowly twitching down. His face grew pale.

"Ariana?" he said, his voice cracking. He dropped to his knees next to Harry. Aberforth was already checking her pulse.

"Please don't be dead," Harry muttered, staring into Ariana's face, her mouth still opened and her eyes closed, fear still etched into her young face.

"There's… there's nothing," Aberforth said, his voice low and strangled. He looked over Ariana's body, then placed his hand over her mouth. "She's dead."

He stared, his eyes crossing and his breathing going heavy. Albus hardly seemed to notice. He, too, was staring at his sister in shock.

"She can't," Aberforth said. His whole body started to tremble as he turned away, wheezing and gagging at the same time. Harry laid Ariana gently to the ground. Albus swayed as he looked up at Harry and then around the kitchen.

"Where is he?" he said, his voice just as strangled as Aberforth, but he didn't seem to be having the physical response that his brother was. Harry put a hand on Aberforth's shoulder.

"Ariana," Aberforth said, tears slipping down his face and landing on Ariana's chest. He reached over to hug her, putting his ear across her chest, as if hoping her heart was still beating.

"Harry," Albus said, staring blankly at his sibling. "I need to get Cadmus Potter, but I can't. I don't know- I mean… I have no idea whose spell it was. The last thing I remember was casting a stunning spell. I- I don't-"

Harry had never seen him so lost for words.

"Go get him," Harry said. "I'll stay here with Aberforth."

"But, Harry, you'll get arrested."

"I don't care. Just go."

His eyes wavered over Harry's. He could tell he was probing into Harry's mind, but Harry didn't care. He let Albus see him sitting in the Hog's Head the night before the Battle of Hogwarts with Ariana's picture hanging above Aberforth's fireplace and Aberforth's talking to Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

'I was her favorite,' older Aberforth was saying in Harry's head. 'Not Albus, he was always up in her bedroom when he was home… He didn't want to be bothered with her. She liked me best.'

Harry blinked, trying to sort through his memory of that night. He couldn't remember much. The Battle was much more important in his mind than his meeting with Aberforth.

When he caught Albus's eye again, he let him see even more. 'I think she wanted to help, but she didn't really know what she was doing, and I don't know which of us did it, it could have been any of us- and she was dead… 'Course, Grindelwald scampered. He had a bit of a track record already, back in his own country, and he didn't want Ariana set to his account too. And Albus was free, wasn't he? Free of the burden of his sister, free to become the greatest wizard of the-'

Harry wasn't sure how Albus was extracting these words. They were all a blur to him. But still, he was. His eyes electric with trying to find the truth within Harry's mind.

'He was never free,' the past Harry insisted.

'I beg your pardon?' said old Aberforth.

'Never. The night that your brother died-"

Albus abruptly looked away, tears slipping down his face. "This was supposed to happen," he said, looking down at Ariana. "She was supposed to die. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I tried to," Harry said. "I was about to push her out of the way when I realized what was about to happen."

Albus covered his face with his hands. His body began to shake as he sobbed. Harry wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to stand, but instead, he leaned forward. He felt awkward hugging Albus. Harry never liked hugs and avoided them whenever he could. But just witnessing the greatest regret of his future Headmaster's life made him want to do something.

Harry closed his eyes tightly, wishing Dumbledore's screams from the cave would stop echoing through his head. 'Make it stop, make it stop. It's all my fault, all my fault. Please make it stop. I'll do anything. KILL ME."

"All- my- fault," Albus said, still sobbing. "Please. Please…"

"I'll go get Bathilda," Harry said, dropping his arms. "She'll get Cadmus, all right?"

He nodded, the tears slipping through his fingers.

Harry stood and rushed out of the house. He ran up Bathilda's walkway and pounded on the door. The door swung open and he began saying, "Ariana Dumbledore- She-"

But instead of seeing Bathilda, a man with messy black hair, hazel eyes, and a deep scar across his jaw stood before him.

Harry swallowed and stepped back.

Albus watched Harry leave him with Aberforth and their sister's dead body. Aberforth was still wheezing, his face still pressed against Ariana's chest.

"Ab," he said, standing shakily. He felt faint, but at least he wasn't having a panic attack like Aberforth. "Let's… let's leave."

Aberforth let Albus grab him by the upper arm and pull him to the living area by the fireplace.

"Breathe, Aberforth," he said, kneeling down in front of him. Aberforth shook his head, his blue eyes filled with tears. He wanted to give Aberforth a promise of some kind, saying things would end up being all right, but he didn't think that was going to be true. He recalled Harry's memories streaming through his head, how Harry insisted Albus was never free, even, apparently, up until he died.

"You did this," Aberforth said, still breathing heavily. "It's all your fault. It's not fair!"

Albus nodded. "Breathe, Aberforth."

Finally, his breaths began to calm over the next few seconds. He still wasn't breathing evenly, though, when he said faintly, "All your fault."

"I know," Albus muttered.

He stood up and sat down next to Aberforth, wrapping his arms around him tightly. Aberforth continued to cry, but Albus just stared blankly at the wall ahead of him.

He had no idea what to think. He'd never been so lost for thoughts. All he could see was his sister's body laying in the kitchen, motionless.

And Aberforth was completely right. If he hadn't become friends with Gell- Grindelwald, none of that would have happened. Aberforth wouldn't have been hit with an Unforgivable. Ariana would still be alive.

He didn't want to create the funeral plans. He didn't want to do anything. He closed his eyes tightly and wished he could just sit there forever with his brother.

Harry looked up at Cadmus.

"Are you-" Cadmus said, drawing his wand.

He had said to Albus he didn't care if he'd get arrested, but now in the face of it, he realized what that would mean. He'd most likely be brought in for questioning for the missing papers at the Ministry and the Potter's home. He couldn't waste time like that, not when the potion to get him home was nearly done.

He was lost for barely a second before he screamed out, "The Dumbledore's need you!"

He disapparated on the spot, knowing that would put him in even more trouble in the future if he got caught. He couldn't risk it.

He landed in the workshop of Flamel, who was sitting at his desk, sorting out ingredients.

"Good, you're back," Flamel said. "I need you to- What's happened?"

"Albus's sister was killed," Harry said, rubbing his forehead near his scar. "And I ran into Cadmus Potter when I went to tell Bathilda."

"Ah," Flamel said, surveying Harry closely. He huffed, then turned back. "Looks as if I'll have to send you back sooner. Cadmus already has a search out for you."

"The Elixir isn't done yet, though," Harry said, looking into the cauldron.

"Only two more days. It's matured faster than I thought it would," he said, stirring it with a grisly old hand. "For now, you're to stay here. No more meddling with the Dumbledore's. Now, get to ordering the potions like I asked."

Harry knocked over a few potions. He couldn't help his hands shaking. His thoughts kept wandering back to Albus and Aberforth. He wondered how they were doing. He wished he could be there for them, but he knew at least three Aurors would be around. He couldn't risk it anymore, even if he wanted to.

When he went to bed that night, he stared up at the ceiling for a very long time. Why hadn't he tried harder to stop Ariana dying? He could have save her. He could have lived up to his 'saving people thing' as Hermione always called it. This was Albus's worst memory, it was the thing that caused him the most pain, the thing he saw in the Mirror of Erised. He wanted Ariana back more than anything.

Harry could have changed that, let Ariana live.

But then would he have changed? Would he have moved on from Gellert Grindelwald? Harry remembered the Unforgivable that Grindelwald had hit Aberforth with. Harry wondered if that would have been enough to convince him to stop being friends with Grindelwald, but Harry had no idea what would happen.

What was done was done.

When his watch hands turned to midnight, he couldn't take rolling restlessly in bed anymore. He disapparated to Godric's Hollow and took post outside the Dumbledore house. He could see that the fireplace inside was flickering. After an hour sitting in the woods under his cloak, he saw a thin, tall figure stand by the window.

After a few minutes, the figure turned away and the fire went out.

Albus watched as Cadmus Potter leaned over Ariana, checking her pulse and eyes. Finally he sighed and said, "She's dead. I'm sorry, Albus."

Albus nodded slowly. Cadmus glanced around the room, his eyes landing on the shattered pottery on the floor, the papers scattered about, and the cabinets broken, hanging off their hinges.

"Nasty fight, huh?" he said. "Who was involved?"

"My brother, and Gellert Grindelwald, and me," Albus said softly, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"And Harry Potter?" he asked, looking up at Albus, trying to catch his eye.

Albus looked directly at him and said, "No."

"Harry Potter was not here," Cadmus said, obviously dubious.

"No, sir."

"Then why did I just see him at Bathilda's door?"

Albus shook his head. "I don't know."

Cadmus narrowed his eyes, then reached for the paper closest to him. He only glanced at it before he showed Albus. "These are the stolen files."

"It wasn't Harry Potter," Albus said, glancing back at Aberforth still on the couch. He was rubbing his eyes. "Gel- Grindelwald did it. He was looking for some magical objects. He thought you might have some, so he took those."

"So, you're telling me Harry Potter has not been here?" Cadmus asked, tilting his head in disbelief.

"I haven't seen him in quite a while," Albus said, not feeling at all bad that he was lying through his teeth. He was glad he'd worked so hard on Occlumency his sixth year. "Maybe he was watching us as the fight broke out. I have no idea, Sir."

"Right," Cadmus said, sighing. He stood up straight. "I'll get an investigative squad in here to clean up and move Ariana. Would you like her taken to the church?"

He nodded.

"You're not to leave the house," Cadmus said. "Not until we've got this straightened out and have your story confirmed. We'll check the documents for Gellert Grindelwald's magical residue and fingerprints."

Albus nodded and turned. He sat back next to Aberforth and closed his eyes, still wishing that none of that had happened.

Albus was woken just as the sun was setting. He looked up in confusion at Cadmus standing above him. All his memories from earlier in the day rushed back to him. The fact that Ariana was dead and Gellert was gone hit him heavily. Tears formed in his eyes.

"We found that Gellert's fingerprints are all over the documents," Cadmus said. "We've put on a man hunt for him. Ariana has been moved to the church, as well."

Albus nodded, sitting up. He rubbed his eyes.

"We're still looking for Potter, though," Cadmus said. "He's still illegal here."

Albus nodded, but he was sure that Harry would be gone soon enough. He was quite safe. Albus, though, still had to deal with the grief, still had to deal with Ariana's dead body, still had to deal with his brother and his career.

"I'm very sorry for your loss, especially right after your mother," Cadmus said, his eyes growing soft and pitying. Albus looked away. "I do hope things begin to look up for you. You're a very promising young man. I'm sure you'll do great things."

Albus didn't think so. He didn't respond to Cadmus at all. He stared at a corner.

Cadmus patted Albus's arm. His footsteps sounded, then the door closed.

The whole house was quiet, except for Aberforth's snores next to him. He conjured up a blanket and draped it over him, then he lit a fire for the night.

Albus Dumbledore understood a lot of things. He understood the most complex of magical theory that went right over most wizards' heads. He understood the stars, Ancient Runes, the political systems of the world. He'd gotten many awards for his services to the school and the Wizengamot. He was supposed to work in the Ministry.

This, however, he didn't understand. Why did his sister have to die? Why did anyone have to die? He knew it was the reason why he wanted the Hallows. He never wanted death to touch him in any way. It hurt so much, left a hollowness in his chest and a overwhelming desire to have everything back to the way it was.

If there was one thing Albus Dumbledore didn't understand, it was the most natural of living processes. And that realization that Aberforth was right about that just…

He didn't even know the word for it.

He glanced at his brother.

He was smarter than Albus could ever be, wasn't he? He understood life and time much more greatly than Albus did.

Harry Potter did, too.

A/N: Excerpts from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 28- The Missing Mirror, Page 565-567, American Edition. Excerpt from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 26- The Cave, Page 572-573, American Edition.